


No Joking Around

by Zohar



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Flirting, Foot Fetish, Gen, Implied Sexual Content, No Phantom Thieves AU, Retelling, Roommates, Rumors, Secret Relationship, Sexual Tension, Teasing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-09 11:38:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18916216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zohar/pseuds/Zohar
Summary: In an alternate reality where Joker lives with Sae and Makoto instead of Sojiro, the Phantom Thieves never come to be. Events play out differently and some unavoidable sexual tension develops with his female roommates, amongst other things. Meanwhile, the rest of the world copes without having its heart stealing heroes.





	1. Chapter 1

[4/9 Saturday]

"This is Makoto, my younger sister. Makoto, this is Akira, he's the boy I was telling you about." Sae introduced the two teenagers. She had become the temporary caretaker of a delinquent accused of assaulting a very influential person who had him sent away from his home on probation.

"It's nice to meet you. So you'll be staying with us for the whole school year, huh?" Makoto tilted her head to the side, observing the young man standing next to Sae in their home. He nodded back at her in response.

"Yes. Please pardon my intrusion. I was originally meant to be staying with an acquaintance of my parents, but something came up at the last minute and he had to leave town." Akira turned his attention toward Sae so as to let her elaborate.

"It was supposed to be the owner of that coffee shop in Yongen-Jaya who'd be giving him a place to stay, then his daughter got sick or something and he had to bail out. All I know is because of that, the only alternative for this guy would have been juvenile hall and I couldn't let that happen. Not when I was the lawyer representing the person pressing charges against him. Something about a grown man suing a teenager didn't seem right with me. That's why I volunteered to take him into my custody instead. I'd rather that than have his ruined future weighing on my conscience."

Akira bowed before Sae to show is gratitude. "I greatly appreciate what you're doing for me. I promise I won't let you down."

"I already told you to stop ingratiating yourself to me so much. I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think you were relatively innocent. Besides, I thought it might be nice to have a guy around the house. Especially if you were telling the truth about how you stood up to that man for a woman. I'm going to make sure I look into that personally. Until then, you'll be earning your keep around here somehow. Be on your best behavior out there and focus on school. Don't do anything foolish that could get you into trouble or otherwise cause me any." Sae gave Akira a stern look to show she meant business.

"You're enrolling him tomorrow, right?" Makoto asked.

"That's right. Afterwards you two will be commuting together." Sae paused for a moment as if she had just remembered something. "... That reminds me, let me show you to your room, Akira." She gestured for him to follow her and she lead him to a spare bedroom. "This room used to be our father's. The one next door is mine and the other across the hall is Makoto's." Sae looked over her shoulder to make sure Makoto couldn't hear her when she gave Akira a friendly warning. "Don't get any funny ideas."

"Huh?" He arched his eyebrows at her in mock confusion.

"Don't play dumb, you know what I mean." When he showed no sign of dropping the feigned innocence, Sae became more blunt and spoke candidly. "If you try to fuck my sister I'm throwing you out." Akira's eyes went wide at her threat.

"Don't worry, I'm not stupid." He looked down at the floor and nervously rubbed the back of his neck, feeling more awkward than before now.

"I didn't say you were. But there's no denying guys your age are driven by hormones. One might say they'd easily get horny enough to try something if they were living with a girl their own age. Assuming they weren't gay. Anyway, I just wanted to put that out there." She gave him a pat on the shoulder to ease the tension. "Well then, make yourself at home. I'm going to go get in the shower."

After Sae left the room, Akira unpacked his bags and sat down on the bed to think. ("What was that about? Why would she really care if I hooked up with her sister? She must be the jealous type.") Thinking it over, he wrote off her sudden ultimatum as merely being a mild case of envy. Seeing as she was single and it would probably sting her pride to see her little sister with a cohabiting boyfriend.

[4/10 Sunday]

The next day they were at Shujin Academy in the Principal's Office, registering Akira and introducing him to his homeroom teacher. She introduced herself as Sadayo Kawakami, gave him his class schedule and right off the bat said she wouldn't be able to help him if he caused any trouble. Beleaguered, Akira glanced at Sae, who basically told him the same thing the day before. Once they were done with their business there and out of the office, Sae spoke to Akira in the hallway. "Get used to that, you've got a stigma surrounding you thanks to the rumors."

"What rumors?" Moderately annoyed at implication, he asked Sae to enlighten him while they walked down the hallway.

"From what Makoto told me, most people at the school think you're a genuine criminal. And regardless of what you did or didn't do, there's a blight on your record. And that means you've already been ostracized, sorry."

"This is bullshit. I'm not a bad guy. All I did was try to help a woman who was being harassed and look where it got me."

"At least it's better than jail, right? Give it some time to blow over. Once you've proven yourself this will all be behind you. Now then, you start school tomorrow so I'll show you how to get back home from here. Makoto will also help you find your classes and make sure you aren't late."

-

At the Niijima residence, Makoto ordered takeout food for dinner and the three of them ate together while Akira became the subject of discussion. "So what do you plan to do after this is over?" Sae asked him.

"You mean the school year and when I go back home? I don't know. I feel like I'm totally screwed and won't be able to do anything. I'm as good as an ex-con if I can't prove my innocence."

"You leave that to me and don't worry about it. I'll find out what really happened. If it turns out that man used me to prosecute someone innocent when he knows he was in the wrong, I'll make sure he pays for it. Or at the very least make sure your record gets cleared. If we can find whoever that woman was and convince her to testify against him then that would be a step in the right direction. I've got a feeling she took his side mostly out of fear, given his status and influence."

"You said he was a politician, right?" Makoto asked. The case was confidential so Sae wouldn't tell her sister his name, she was too professional for that, even at home.

"Right. And a pretty obvious asshole in disguise. I hate representing people like that in court but I don't have the luxury of turning down high profile plaintiffs. Not only would it be burning bridges but it would also put a target on my back. Which I can't afford. I'm already a woman in a male dominated field. I hope you understand, Akira."

"I do. You were just doing your job. Besides, you turned it around and helped me out the best way you could. You took me in and I can't thank you enough for doing that much. Two beautiful roommates beats a cell mate who thinks I'M beautiful any day."

Makoto blushed at the sudden compliment while Sae gave it no reaction, her face remaining expressionless. After they were done eating, Akira volunteered to do the dishes. Once Makoto went to her room and he was left alone with Sae, she approached him from the side and stood by him while he washed.

"So you think I'm beautiful?" She asked him in a low voice. The question caught him by surprise and he looked at her, wide eyed.

"Y-Yes, of course." His embarrassment showed and she thought it was cute, causing her to smile at him for the first time ever.

"Well that's good to know. But remember what I said about Makoto though.." Her tone was raspy yet serious but she kept her smile.

"Don't try to.. her." Akira muttered his words, too nervous to quote her exactly.

"Fuck. Don't try to fuck her. Which means no flirting, got it?" Despite what Sae was saying, she contradicted herself by rubbing a hand through his hair.

"Y-Yeah, I got it." The gesture made Akira hurriedly finish washing the dishes and scurry off to his room. He spent the rest of the day in there and once nighttime finally came he had the irresistible urge to jerk off once he was sure they went to bed. Thoughts of both women filled his head as he fantasized about having a threesome with them. Sae left the biggest impression on him so she was his main focus. While at the same time, her forbidding him from touching her sister made Makoto all the more alluring. He finished himself off on the image of ramming Makoto as an act of rebellion rather than copulation. ("I'll fuck whoever I want so long as they'll let me!") In his mind he yelled that at Sae and virtually anyone else who tried to oppress him in one way or another. His session was more about relieving stress than arousal and enough of it dissipated with his ejaculation into a piece of tissue that he threw away in a small, open lid trashcan. Once he was done and calmed down enough to sleep, Akira called it a night.

[4/11 Monday]

The next day he woke up fully refreshed and ready for his first day of school. Sae had already gone to work and Makoto was two steps ahead of him, eating breakfast already. "Good morning." He greeted her with a yawn.

"Good morning, did you sleep well?"

"Quite. Is that mine?" He asked, pointing at a plate of food on the table.

"Yup, I made it myself."

"Thanks!" Akira wasted no time sitting down to eat because he was starving. Makoto watched him, both impressed and flattered that he apparently liked her cooking. "That was delicious! You're a great cook."

"T-Thank you..!" Her face was blushing again like the day before and she got up to take both of their plates.

"You did the cooking so at least let me do the dishes."

"No, it's fine. You still need to get dressed for school." She pointed out that he was still wearing what he'd slept in.

"Oh yeah.. I'll get right on that." He rushed back to his room to put on his new uniform and came back out a few minutes later. "How do I look?"

"Perfect. Let's head out." Makoto grabbed her sack purse and a mini umbrella to put in it. "It's supposed to rain today but I only have one umbrella, so.."

"That's fine, I don't mind sharing one with you." Akira said nonchalantly.

"Okay.." Turning away to hide her blush, she headed for the door and accidentally dropped the umbrella on the way. "Oops." Makoto lavishly bent down at a ninety degree angle to pick it up. Her ass was facing Akira and he couldn't help but stare at it in appreciation. Without further ado, she put it in her sack and went out the door first.

("Did she just do that on purpose?! Oh MAN I hope so!") Akira briefly placed a hand over his crotch at the arousing notion and followed suit.

-

A bit later on their commute it did start to rain when they were getting close to the school. Taking shelter under a storefront while Makoto pulled out the umbrella, Akira noticed a blonde haired girl in their uniform across the street doing the same. By the time Makoto gave him the umbrella to hold over their heads, a car pulled up to offer the girl a ride. Noticing where Akira was looking, Makoto told him the gossip. "That's Kamoshida, a teacher at our school. Rumor has it he's sleeping with that girl."

"What?! You serious?"

"Yeah, that's the rumor anyway. I don't know if it's true or not but I wouldn't be surprised if he was at the very least trying to sleep with her. Something about him gives me the creeps."

"Jeez, a teacher and a student though? That's crazy." He watched them drive off and thought about the girl who got in the car rather than the man driving it. ("She did kind of look like the type who'd put out. And wouldn't care if it was with a teacher.")

-

Once they reached the school building, Makoto showed Akira to his homeroom and then went off to her own class. He met with his teacher, who introduced him to the class amidst the students that could be heard gossiping about him. When Ms. Kawakami told him where to sit, to his surprise, it was right behind the blonde girl from before. As he approached his seat, the girl looked up at him and smiled politely, which he returned. "Hi.."

"He doesn't have a textbook yet, Ann, could you share yours with him?" Ms. Kawakami asked the girl.

"Wha-? Why me??" Despite her smile a second ago, Ann protested the request.

"Ooo~ Kamoshida's not going to like that." Whispered one girl in the class to another. Before that could escalate, Ms. Kawakami drew everyone's attention towards her.

"Alright, quiet down! Listen, there's a sports event coming up soon so you all keep that in mind. Now then, let's get started with today's lesson."

After a moment passed, Akira tried to break the ice with Ann while they were sharing her textbook.

"Don't you just hate rumors?" He asked in a low voice.

"Definitely.."

-

When the bell rang signaling the end of the period, Ms. Kawakami told Akira to see her after class. Once it was just the two of them in the room he got up and walked over to her desk where she waited to speak with him. "Look, I know you're aware of how your reputation precedes you. So try to avoid hanging out with the wrong crowd or doing anything to make it worse. I don't know much about you but you seem like a good kid at heart."

"Thanks, I guess? But why are you telling me this?"

"Because your situation reminds me of someone I used to know.. I wouldn't want to see you getting pushed into a corner. In other words, don't let rumors become self-fulfilling prophecies. Know what I mean?"

"Y-Yeah." Akira took a second to think about her advice and why she was giving it to him. It was only his first day and he hadn't done anything yet to make himself seem so vulnerable.

"Well, you've got to get to your next class. I'll see you tomorrow." She bid him adieu for the day and dismissed him with a teacher's note in case he was tardy.

-

After school Akira met up with Makoto to walk home. Along the way she asked him how his first day went. "Other than the awkward stares, pointing and whispers, pretty uneventful. Though if I hear one more person say 'That's him' or 'He's the guy' I might snap."

"Oh.. Don't let it bother you. I'm pretty sure in time, nobody's going to care anymore."

"I'll do my best to see to it that they don't. By showing everyone I'm not some idiot who's going to randomly punch somebody for nothing."

-

When they got home each went into their own rooms to study and do their homework. Later in the day, Sae came home from work visually stressed out. Makoto and Akira were sitting across from each other on adjacent couches watching the news while Sae sat at the dinner table with her laptop, apparently working from home. "Oh my God, that's so horrible! How could such a thing happen? I didn't hear anything about a train accident yesterday." Makoto showed her dismay at what the news was reporting. Sae, however, paid it no mind. Yet every so often Akira would notice her looking up from her laptop at him for no apparent reason. There weren't any verbal exchanges between them until Sae finally broke the silence.

"Makoto can you go get something from the store for me?"

"Hm? Sure. What do you need, Sis?" She was immersed in a show they were watching after the news went off but graciously accepted her sister's request. Sae elegantly held up a slip of paper between her middle and index fingers without taking her eyes off of the computer. Makoto got up to take it from her and read what was on the sheet. "Okay.."

Once her sister was gone, Sae closed her laptop and went over to sit by Akira. "Hey." Was all she said to him.

"H-Hi.." Akira instantly felt himself getting nervous again like he was the day before. She was right behind him and he couldn't bare to turn around and look at her, so he kept his eyes on the TV. Sae grabbed the remote on the coffee table and turned the TV off. "H-Hey, come on, I was watching that!"

"Cute. Are you really more interested in that show than me?"

"Huh?!" Now he turned around to face her in shock. She had a look in her eyes that didn't suggest she was joking. "Miss Sae, I don't understand wha-"

"Don't call me Miss." She interrupted. There was a long, awkward moment of silence between them while neither one said anything else to the other. They merely stared at each other in the eyes. After what felt like several minutes, Sae finally rolled her eyes back and sighed in frustration. "Fine. You wanna play hard to get? So be it." She then got up and left Akira dumbfounded when she went to her room.

("Hard to get?! What the hell?! I'm hard as a rock right now! The only problem is I'm not sure what to do about it because she said no flirting!") Akira held back the urge to go to his room. He knew that if he did he'd end up jerking off and Sae would undoubtedly hear since her room was next door. In order to calm himself down, he turned the TV back on and tried unsuccessfully to concentrate on watching the show again.

-

Eventually, Makoto came back home holding a grocery bag. "Where's Sae?"

"In her room.." Akira answered meekly.

She went in the back to her sister's room and knocked on the door. "I've got your medicine, Sis." Sae opened the door, accepted the package and thanked her. Afterwards, Makoto came back out into the living room. She sat down on the same adjacent couch she did earlier and continued watching TV with Akira.

"Medicine..?" Akira asked her in a low voice.

"Yeah, it's not a prescription or anything. It's just that sometimes she needs me to go out and get her things that help her manage. You know, like headache medicine, muscle creams, etc."

"I see. She must work really hard."

Makoto nodded somberly. "Yeah, ever since our father died she's been raising me by herself while working a stressful job. That's why I do everything I can to help her."

"And she took me in despite all that.. Hmm.. She doesn't have a boyfriend does she?"

"No.. She's always been too busy with work for relationships."

-

That night Akira thought over what Makoto told him about Sae. Her behavior started to make sense when he put two and two together. ("Could the real reason she took me in be because she thought I'd be some easily accessible, readily available dick she could take advantage of? Holy shit!!") That night he jerked off again, thinking about Sae. This time Makoto wasn't in the picture at all because her sister was the soul object of his desire. His fantasy was imagining himself paying rent by being her meatstick. ("That's right. I bear the title of personal dildo to a hot woman and I'm proud of it!") He visualized himself bragging about his distorted living conditions to what friends he might make at school and all of them being either impressed or jealous. When he came he did so into a piece of tissue once again and threw it in the same trashcan as before.

[4/12 Tuesday]

The next day was another rainy morning he commuted to school with Makoto in. On the train ride there, people on the subway were talking about all the freak accidents happening lately and Makoto's face showed her worry upon hearing them. "I really hope nothing like that happens to us.."

-

After school, Akira caught Kamoshida trying to offer Ann a ride home. He used all the accidents that occurred as an excuse for her to be safer by riding with him. In their conversation, he also mentioned something about her best friend and annoyingly enough to Akira, warned Ann about 'the transfer student' and how she should stay away from him. ("Yeah right, as if I'm the predator around here. Asshole.") Moving on, he met up with Makoto who was waiting for him outside.

"Everything okay? You look kind of angry." She asked him.

"I'm Fine ... It's just that students gossiping about me is one thing, teachers are another."

"A teacher said something about you?! Who??"

"The one trying to fuck that girl, Ann."

"Oh, him? Whatever, who cares about what that guy thinks. He would try to make any student look bad if it made him look better by comparison."

"I suppose you're right. Still annoying though. The fact that there's a teacher like him at this school."

"I'm sure every school has at least one. Let's get some take-out food for dinner."

-

They arrived at the Niijima residence to find Sae home already. "Hey, Sis. Got off early today?"

"Yeah, sort of. I've still got a lot to do and I decided to finish up at home."

Akira, feeling more confident around Sae after his lewd epiphany about her last night, tried offering her some assistance. "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Sae looked up at him curiously, then at Makoto behind him who was also a bit surprised. "I'm good, thanks. I see you brought home food, we can't keep eating take-out, Makoto."

"I know, but it's Big Bang Burger so at least it was pretty cheap."

-

That night Akira expected Sae to make another move on him but to his disappointment, she didn't. In his wild imagination, he hoped she would barge into his room after dark and say, "Clothes off, now." And they would bang like crazy. But no such event occurred and he began to worry that maybe he had the wrong impression. ("Man, this sucks! If only I wasn't a virgin I might have a better idea of what's going on here.") He figured he might as well jerk one off for the third night in a row since he obviously wasn't about to get lucky. Routinely tossing his jizz soaked tissue into the trashcan.

[4/13 Wednesday]

During homeroom Ms. Kawakami informed the class the school was having a volleyball rally today. All the students were told to dress out in their P.E. clothes and head to the gymnasium. Akira recognized one of the students on the court when he got smashed in the face by a volleyball, courtesy of Kamoshida. "Whoa, what the hell?"

"You saw it too, huh? Looked like he did that shit on purpose." Said a blonde haired boy sitting next to Akira.

"Hey, are you okay? Somebody get him to the nurses office." Kamoshida feigned minimal concern for the barely conscious student as he told a few bystanders to take him away. He then resumed playing the game as if nothing happened amidst the cheers of girls.

"The only reason we're having this stupid sports event is so that asshole can show off. He'll get what's coming to him."

"You sound like you've got a personal beef with Kamoshida." Akira said to the agitated blonde boy.

"Yeah, I hate his guts. It's because of him that the school lost its track team, which I was on. He's also a pervert that flirts with female students while taking opportunities to do shit like what he just did to Mishima to other male students."

"That's pretty abusive. Sorry, who are you again?"

"The name's Ryuji, nice to meet ya."

The two bonded over their mutual disdain for Kamoshida during the volleyball rally and Akira made his first friend at school besides Makoto.

-

Ann approached Akira after school asking if she could talk to him for a minute, which he obliged. "Listen, I know you heard what Kamoshida said to me about you yesterday. He thinks I trust him but I don't. You and I have one thing in common and that's how we both have rumors going around about us. The difference with me is I don't care about what people think and I just go with the flow when it suits me. You on the other hand seem to have a chip on your shoulder. The way you were looking Kamoshida during the rally was bad. Really bad. Looks are dangerous and can get you into trouble. So don't do anything stupid that would provoke him, okay? I saw how you were talking to Ryuji about it."

"Talking to me about what?" Said a familiar voice from around the corner. It was Ryuji who walked up to her upon hearing his name.

"Plotting something against Kamoshida." Ann answered straight.

"What are you talking about? Nobody's plotting anything against your boyfriend. You're just being paranoid."

"Whatever. Don't try to drag other people down with you. Everybody knows how you hate Kamoshida and it doesn't take a genius to know you'd be a bad influence on a new student."

"How about you mind your own damn business? Just because two guys are talking doesn't mean they're up to no good. But I bet you one day somebody's gonna kick Kamoshida's ass either way."

Ann turned her back on Ryuji with a sigh and looked Akira in the eyes, almost judgmentally. "See what I mean?"

-

At home Akira received a text message from Ryuji while doing his homework. His new friend insisted that they exchange phone numbers for whatever reason. ["Don't let what Ann said go to your head. She's probably more worried Kamoshida than you."]

["I don't care either way. I've had enough people tell me to stay out of trouble to the point where I'm numb to it."]

["Cool, I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to let some girl dictate who you hang out with."]

["Pfft. I barely even know her."]

["Bros before hoes, right?"]

["Fuck no. Never."]

["Ouch! lol"]

Their random conversation ended on that note and Akira finished his studying. A few minutes later there was a knock on his door. It was Makoto letting him know dinner was ready. "Alright!"

"I saw you talking to Ann today. Did something interesting happen?" Makoto asked him while they sat at the table eating with Sae.

Akira couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her in response. Wondering how she knew about that encounter and more importantly what her implication of 'something interesting' meant. "Uh, no? Not really, why?"

"Just curious. You haven't made any friends at school yet besides me, that I know of, so I was wondering if she was your first."

"My first, huh? No, that was something strictly platonic. She was talking to me about Kamoshida of all things."

"Really?!"

"I don't want to get into it but let's just say she's aware of how we're both the subject of unfortunate rumors."

"Don't worry, Makoto. If he finds a girlfriend I doubt it'll be anyone at school." Sae chimed in by dropping a bombshell on her sister.

"Wha-! What?! That's not the reason why I was asking him about that!" Makoto's face turned beat red in embarrassment.

Feeling a little sorry for the girl being teased, Akira flipped the subject back onto himself. "I did make a new friend today though, a guy named Ryuji."

[4/14 - 4/15 Friday]

Two days later Akira found himself running late for school after Sae asked him to stay home that morning. The excuse she gave Makoto was that she needed him to go in to work with her for his case. However Akira came to find out that was a lie as soon as Makoto left for school without him. When Sae let the cat out of the bag. "The truth is this is getting to be a little too frustrating."

"What is?" Akira wasn't sure what she was talking about but he had some idea in the back of his mind. ("Is this it? Is this how it's going to happen?") The excitement was fissuring but he fought to avoid letting his imagination get the better of him.

"The other day when you said to let you know if there's anything you can do to help me, did you mean it?"

"Of course.."

"Well then I need your help with something we can't do while Makoto's around. And she's always here. So this was the only thing I could think of besides going to a hotel. Which would look extremely suspicious if anyone saw us do. I'd be in a shitload of trouble if we were caught."

"Are you saying what I think you are..?!" Akira's eyes opened wide.

"<Pi> <Pi> <Pi>" Sae's phone went off with a text message from her job before she could answer him. "Are you serious?! Fuck!!" She yelled after reading the message. Sae then dialed a number on her phone and lifted it up to her ear. "Yes, I'm on my way. Don't let them go anywhere!"

"Uhh.." Akira could see his chance flying out the window.

"This will have to wait, something urgent came up at work. Just go ahead and go to school, you can still make it without being too late. If Makoto asks, tell her we had to reschedule at the last minute."

"Okay.."

-

Akira arrived at school feeling extremely angsty. As if the world just gave him a golden gift on a silver platter then took it away before he could even unwrap it. Swearing to himself he looked up to realize all the windows of the school building were filled with faces looking out of them. Following their direction he saw a girl standing on the edge of the roof. "No way.."

"She's going to jump!!" A voice inside the school could be heard screaming.

The moment she stepped off, a split-second decision triggered in Akira's mind and he ran toward her as fast as he could without hesitation. Stopping in her trajectory, Akira braced himself for impact and broke the girl's fall. Losing consciousness in the process.


	2. Chapter 2

[?/?? Unknown]

Akira awoke to find himself in a hospital bed with a cast on his right arm. It went from just below his shoulder to his forearm, covering up his entire elbow region. Shaking his head to clear the haze, he realized it was night time when he looked outside the window on the right side of the bed. Feeling a little worried, he spoke to himself, thinking he was alone. "Oh man, how long was I out..?"

"You're awake? I'm so glad..! I thought you might have fallen into a coma." The unfamiliar voice of a female responded. Akira turned his attention to the other side of the bed where the voice came from. In a nearby chair sat the girl he'd saved resting under a blanket. Her face was the last thing he remembered seeing before passing out. Only now it showed joy and relief rather than sadness and fear like before.

"It's you.." He said upon observing her. She had no visible injuries, which indicated his rescue attempt was a success. "I'm glad you're alright."

She nodded and unsheathed her blanket to walk over to him. "The doctor says I'm fine, thanks to you. I'd have never forgiven myself if you ended up in a coma because of me."

"How long was I out?" Akira repeated his question, this time to another person and hoping for an answer.

"About ten hours. My injuries were minor but you suffered a fracture elbow from catching me. The doctor said we were both extremely lucky. Especially you, since you were wearing glasses and beared the brunt of a frontal impact. I'm so sorry about this ... Why did you do it? Why risk yourself for me?"

"Don't be sorry. And I think the better question isn't why I did it, it's why did YOU do it? Why would you try to kill yourself?" He reflected the question of why back at her and the girl struggled to answer.

"...I can't say."

"You can't even tell me, the guy who saved your life?" When she meekly shook her head no, Akira figured it must have been too sore of a subject and decided to change it. "At least tell me your name then."

"S-Shiho. Shiho Suzui. And you're Akira Kurusu, correct? The new student everybody was talking about.."

"Yup." As soon as he gave his nonchalant answer, Shiho caught Akira by surprise when she embraced him in a big hug. "Ow! Hey, easy now, watch the arm~!" The sudden gesture gave him a quick, sharp pain in his elbow, which he laughed off.

"Sorry.. I'm just so grateful.. For someone who cared enough to.. Even though you didn't even know me..!" Shiho couldn't hold back the tears and her head fell into his lap while she cried.

"It's alright.." Akira gently rubbed the back of her head with his left arm. He looked back outside the window and thought over his predicament. ("If only the other woman I tried to save could have been so grateful. Then again, I might not have been there to save this girl if she had.")

"Am I interrupting?" Another unfamiliar voice, this time male, entered the room. Akira and Shiho both turned to see it was their doctor. "Glad to see you awake, how are you feeling?"

"Fine. Minus some mild pain in my arm." Akira shrugged his right shoulder and looked at his cast.

"Ah, that'll take a while to heal. Give it about two months and you'll be good as new. I've prescribed you some pain relievers to treat it, but refrain from doing extraneous activities with your right arm. You know, like sports, running or.." Rather than saying it aloud, the doctor performed an up and down motion with his hand and Akira knew exactly what it meant.

"Great.." He said with a sigh. Shiho understood the gesture as well and looked at Akira with a sympathetic smile.

"You can still write though and do other things that only require wrist movements. For everything else, use your left arm. Welp, you're pretty much good to go so we're sending you home. I'll call your legal guardian to come pick you up." The doctor exited the room, leaving Akira and Shiho alone again.

"Guess that means my ride out of here will be around soon. What about you? Didn't your parents come to pick you up?"

"My mom did, but I begged her to let me stay a little longer to see if you'd wake up. She thanks you for saving me too and vows to insure your medical expenses are taken care of."

"Well that's nice. I guess I'll be seeing you around school then?" When she didn't answer and merely looked downtrodden at the floor, Akira knew from his own experience what that meant. "They don't want you to go back.."

"No.. My mom is talking about transferring me and the school thinks I should leave as well."

"That's unfortunate. Trust me, I know how it feels. If you do end up leaving though, it was nice meeting you. Left a real impact on me." Akira said jokingly.

"Don't say it like that!" Shiho's face showed she was visibly hurt by his words. "I don't want to never see you again." Her eyes were starting to well up again.

"Then.. maybe we should trade phone numbers?"

"Yes. Here's mine, I'll put them in both of our phones for us." She handed Akira a slip of paper that had her number already written on it with a heart drawn next to it. She then walked around to the other side of the bed where his phone was left charging. Picking it up, she smirked. "So you don't use the security lock feature? You should be more careful, never know who might get their hands on your phone."

"R-Right.."

-

A short while later, Sae arrived after Shiho's mom came to pick her up and graciously thank Akira. Sae however, was quite the opposite. She was less thankful and more agitated. "What the were you thinking?! You could have died!" In the car ride home she scolded him for being so reckless, especially under her watch.

"I know that, but so could she have. I wasn't about to live with the regret of not having done anything. We both came out of it okay in the end. She survived with only a few scratches and I got this pretty red cast to decorate my arm with." Akira said proudly.

"Looking forward to showing that off at school? I'm sure it'll help improve your reputation if anything. From what I hear, everyone saw what you did. So congratulations on your redemption."

"Don't make it sound like that's the reason I did it. I can't help wanting to save women in distress. Apparently it's in my nature."

"Tsk! Are you sure that's not your libido talking?" Sae mocked and questioned his chivalrous proclamation. "Anyway, it's good that you're like that. Don't let the world change who you are. Because no matter how shitty it is, it still needs people like you."

-

"Where are we going? This doesn't look like the way home." Akira asked Sae when he noticed they were making a detour.

"To pick up your pain medicine. The doctor gave me directions to a pharmacy that has your prescription."

"I see." Akira looked around outside the car window for their designation.

"Supposedly, this neighborhood is where you would have been staying had it not been for the other guy backing out. I don't know where he lives but there's a coffee shop around here that he owns." Sae found a place to park the car and they both got out to walk the rest of the way.

"Takemi Medical Clinic?" Akira read out the sign before they entered the building. Once inside, they met with a dark haired woman behind the counter who introduced herself as the owner.

"You must be the guy who's a great catch." Takemi joked when she noticed Akira's cast.

"Yup, he's the one with the hero complex." Sae added.

"And you are?"

"His legal guardian."

"Oh, right. Niijima, wasn't it? Interesting.." Takemi got an eyeful of Sae as if she were sizing her up.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, not at all. I just couldn't help but notice how young you are. Since you two aren't related I-"

"That's none of your concern. Please give us the medication we came here for." Sae was curt and to the point.

"Okay~ Okay. I didn't mean to offend." She stood from her seat and pulled a bottle of the shelf behind her. "Here you go, Mr. Kurusu. Take one a day. Two if necessary and come see me when you need a refill."

"Okay, thank you." Akira accepted the bottle with his good arm.

"See you around then." Takemi bid them both farewell and winked at Akira while Sae wasn't looking.

-

They got back home late in the evening to find Makoto waiting. "Welcome back!" She ran up to Akira to look at him and his arm. "I didn't see what happened but everyone was talking about it at school. You actually saved someone's life, that's amazing!"

"Y-Yeah.." Akira was too drowsy to match Makoto's enthusiasm over seeing him. He'd taken one of the painkillers and hadn't built up a tolerance for the sedative ingredients in it yet, which according to the back of the bottle, would take a day or two.

"There'll be time to talk about that later. He needs go to bed for now." Sae told Makoto on his behalf. Both women took him to his room and helped Akira get undressed. An experience that would have been embarrassing for him if he weren't so exhausted.

"What is that smell?" Makoto sniffed through the air. While Makoto looked around the room, Sae took in a deep breath herself and thought about what it could be. Then her eyes landed on the mini trashcan full of used tissues by Akira's bed. Then she looked him in the eyes with a knowing glare.

"It's probably just his deodorant. He's been sweating a lot today." She told Makoto without taking her eyes off Akira. When she did finally break eye contact, she turned her head to Makoto. "Go and get him a glass of ice water, would you?"

"Sure."

Once she was out of the room, Sae quickly reached for trashcan and pulled out the bag to tie it up. "She doesn't know about this smell yet, but I do. Be more mindful of your roommates if you're going to jerk off in here. This stuff has pheromones in it you know."

  
[4/16 Saturday]

Akira woke up in the very early hours of the morning due to having had more than enough sleep the past twenty-four hours and going to bed prematurely. It was too early for school so Makoto was still asleep but he could hear sounds coming from Sae's room. He slowly tip-toed toward her door and pressed and ear against it. Distinctly enough, he could make out the sounds of moans, heavy breathing, a creaking bed and strangely enough something that sounded like a rustling bag. His dick was getting hard and he really wanted to reach for it with his dominant arm but couldn't thanks to the cast, so he tried with his left. It wasn't nearly satisfying enough but he wasn't about to try ejaculating in the middle of the hallway anyway. His only goal was to moderately placate himself while being very stimulated mentally. After a short while the noises finally ceased and it didn't occur to Akira that that meant she was done. So he pressed his ear against the door more firmly and closed his eyes to strain his senses. Hoping that there was more to come soon. Then the door opened.

"What the fuck?!" Yelled Sae. Standing there in nothing but her bra and panties while she held the trash bag of tissues she confiscated from Akira's room the night before.

"Uhh.. Heh heh.." He almost fell into her room when she opened the door but caught himself. Still holding his dick in his left hand, he quickly put it away, but not before Sae noticed.

"Tell me you weren't.." She said through gritted teeth.

"S-Sorry. I woke up early and heard something that sounded reeaally interesting soo, you know.." He smirked while aiming his gaze down at the bag in her hand, throwing the shame and guilt back onto her. Realizing she was caught just as red handed as he was, Sae pushed passed him and headed for the bathroom.

"You're staying home today so we'll talk about this later."

"Sure."

-

"Mornings are when I usually do it." Sae told Akira. They sat on the adjacent couches in the living room, wearing their casual clothes. After Makoto left for school, they could finally get acquainted on a personal level now that both were aware of each other's masturbation habits.

"Any reason why?"

"So I'm not thinking about sex all day at work."

"Yeah, I can relate to that. And you said it yourself, you work in a male dominated field, so the tension must be higher than a normal job."

"And you? When do you usually do it, at night?" When Akira nodded in response, Sae stared at his cast. "I suppose you'll have a hard time doing that now with a broken arm, huh?"

Akira sighed. "Yup, and that really sucks. Because as you saw earlier, my left hand doesn't do the trick. I could try using my right but I know it would hurt like a bitch."

"Poor baby." Sae teased him.

"You could always lend me a hand though, right?"

"Cute pun, but what gave you that idea? The fact that I used the smell of your cum to get off? Don't go thinking that means I'll have sex with you."

"Wha? But I thought that's what we were going to do yesterday."

"No, I was supposed to be off work and I was going to have you rub my feet all day."

"Are you serious?!" Akira was highly annoyed and deflated at the same time.

"Of course I am, you got a problem with that?"

"No, it's just.. Why?? Why would you tease me like that? Why would you make me skip school for that? Talk about going to a hotel for that? And least of all, worry about Makoto for that?!"

"So many questions with only one obvious answer. Because that's what I wanted. A good massage in the privacy of my own home without my sister making it feel awkward. It's a small favor to ask of someone who offered to do anything, is it not? But unfortunately it looks like you won't be able to do that for me any time soon." She pointed at his broken arm, indicating he would need to use both to please her.

"..So what?! I've still got one good arm, a mouth and a dick if necessary. Surely I can still do 'something' for you." Akira felt frustrated and borderline desperate to do whatever he could for Sae as long as it meant her giving him privileged access to her body. Even if it was just her feet.

"What are you suggesting?" She arched an eyebrow at him and very slowly, subtlety started parting her legs.

"Whatever you want." He said with the look of determination on his face.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew, boy.." Her legs were now opened wide enough to be considered intentionally lewd.

"I can 'chew' on whatever you want me to all day. Be it your toes or somewhere else." His eyes traced all over her body from head to toe.

"Oh my, aren't you the anxious one.." Sae's face actually blushed for the first time ever and Akira could tell she was finally starting to melt. He waited impatiently for further action on her part. Hoping that she'd invite him closer or maybe to her room where they might get serious. "So if I told you to orally pleasure me right now, you'd do it?"

"Damn right I would. So? Are you going to let me? If we're going do anything, the sooner the better. We only have until Makoto gets back home from school." He began bargaining and Sae was obviously thinking it over.

"..Swear to me you'll never tell anyone about this."

"Of course I won't. I mean I won't swear! No! I mean I won't swear to tell! Argh!! I swear I won't tell!" Akira stumbled on one Freudian slip after another in his excitement, which amused Sae.

"Okay, let's go to my room." She got up and Akira followed suit.

-

For two hours, Akira rubbed, squeezed, licked, sucked and chewed on Sae's feet while she laid on her back in the bed. He'd use his left hand to massage one foot while his mouth worked on the other, focusing primarily on her toes. Occasionally he changed it up by doing both on the same foot at the same time and this all delighted her. "Mmm.. Nibble a little softer." She'd demand when he got a little too aggressive. Akira looked up to see Sae lavishly massaging her breast while he took care of her feet.

"Would you like me to do those too?" He stopped momentarily to ask. She looked down at him in a daze.

"No, stay down there. I'll let you know when and if you can move up." Moderately disappointed, he resumed his work on her feet and Sae could feel his enthusiasm wavering. His pace was slowing down, so to give him more motivation, she undid her top. Pulled out her breast and massaged them bare, deliberately for Akira to see. The view made him desperately want to free his hand from servicing her and divert some attention to his own needs, but he promised he'd focus on her first.

("First.. I promised to focus on her 'first'.. Meaning this might ultimately lead up to an orgasm for her one way or another. And then what?? Is she going to do something for me in return?") The thoughts of uncertainty tore at Akira in the back of his mind. He worried she might cruelly leave him with blue balls after he'd put so much effort into pleasuring her. And if she did he knew he'd only have himself to blame since he adamantly volunteered for it. Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, Akira persevered to see what his actions might get him.

-

Half an hour later, Sae was in heat when she reached a hand down her pants to openly fingered herself in front of Akira. Albeit under her clothes. His mouth was getting tired and his arm was weak but she wasn't trying to be enticing this time. "Okay, you can stop now." Her words gave him immense relief because he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going. Now Akira sat back and enjoyed the show while Sae took care of the rest herself. When she came, she gritted her teeth and arched her pelvis into the air with a grunt. Akira looked at the time and realized there wasn't much left until Makoto would be home. He stood up and was about to go to his room to try and finish himself off since he was fairly sure Sae was done with him.

"Well alright then, I guess I'll.."

"Where are you going?" She said, stopping Akira in his tracks as soon as he turned around.

"To my room.."

"Don't be ridiculous, come here." Sae reached out an arm and when he got close enough she grabbed onto his pants and undid them.

"Whoa! Really?!" All the hop in Akira's step came back once he knew what was about to happen.

"Yeah, you've earned this much so enjoy it." With his pants down to his ankles and his dick standing straight up, Sae wrapped her mouth around it and gave Akira his first experience of head.

-

Later in the day after Makoto came home, the three of them were chatting with Akira about his heroic feat yesterday. "Everyone at school was asking me how you're doing and wondering when you're coming back."

"Hm, Monday, I think?" Akira said, looking at Sae for confirmation. He and her were trying to act natural, as if nothing at all happened between them today. "Yeah, I had to take today off because of the side effects of the medicine I'm taking."

"I see. Well it's a good thing Sis was here to look after you. By the way, I thought you were supposed to be taking off from school yesterday? Weren't you going in to work with her for your case?"

"About that, we had to reschedule so I sent him to school late. Which turned out to be a miracle since he got there just in time to save that girl."

[4/17 Sunday]

The next morning Akira received a text message from Shiho. ["Hi. Are you free today?"]

["Hey, yeah, what's up?"]

["I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch today. My mom wants to treat you."]

("Is she asking me out? Or was this her mom's idea?") Akira thought it over before replying back. ["Sure, where can I meet you?"]

["The Beef Bowl Shop in Shibuya."]

["Haven't been there before. That's the place down the street from Big Bang Burger, right?"]

["Yup! We'll see you there. <3"]

"Heh.." Akira couldn't help wonder if there was any real meaning behind the heart emoji she sent but he guessed he'd soon find out.

-

When it came close to lunch time and Akira was getting ready to leave, he was stopped by Sae first. "Going somewhere?" Her tone was casual yet authoritative since this was his first time going anywhere besides school and he didn't bother telling her first. Makoto was in her room studying so he felt somewhat relieved she wouldn't try to go with him at least.

"Y-Yeah. Shiho and her mom are treating me to lunch today. I wasn't expecting it but I figured why not." There was an awkward moment of silence between them after he told her and Akira worried Sae might tell him to stay home, but she didn't.

"..That girl probably likes you you know."

"Yeah, I know.." He was keenly aware of the possibility that Shiho might have feelings for him. He'd played enough video games, seen enough anime and read enough manga to know how the damsel in distress always fell in love with her hero. Only now he was going to find out first hand if that trope applied in real life.

"I shouldn't have to say this, and it's embarrassing enough for me as it is, but if you end up dating this girl, or anyone else for that matter.." Sae folded her arms and stood firm in her usual posture that radiated confidence. She had a signature pose where her legs were ajar and her eyes said she meant business. In that moment and context though, she was letting her body language do the talking in a more intimate way. Without words, Akira read her message loud and clear. ("What happened between us yesterday ends here if you go out there and accept whatever pussy falls into your lap.")

"I understand.." He interpreted her signals as Sae merely standing her ground. If this was her way of essentially telling him she'd refuse to be a side bitch, Akira would respect it. She already gave him reason to believe she was the jealous type on more than one occasion. Starting with her threat to kick him out of he laid a hand on Makoto. That was the first sign and he thought it was just her showing sisterly protection. But he soon came to realize that was more about Sae wanting him for herself. Like a cat being possessive of prey it brought home.

-

Akira enjoyed his meal with Shiho and her mother at the Beef Bowl Shop. Both women continuously gave him compliments on every little thing ranging from his looks, bravery, strength, even the way he ate. "Such a manly appetite, it's quite impressive." Shiho's mother in particular kept trying to feed his ego as well as his belly.

"Please, stop, you're making me blush." Akira played it cute but he really did want them to stop. People in the restaurant were taking notice and smiling at him with approval. When Shiho got up to go to the restroom though, her mother used the opportunity to speak to him more candidly.

"Listen, I'm sure you've figured it out by now but my daughter seems to have imprinted herself onto you as her knight in shining armor. So as her mother, I have to be the one to ask in her stead. Do you have a girlfriend yet?"

The word 'girlfriend' made Akira choke on his drink. "<cough>! Ah! Um- Girlfriend? No.."

"Good. What do you think about my Shiho? Be honest."

"I uh.. Well she's really nice, and quite beautiful of course. But I wouldn't feel right about it."

"Why?"

"She's only interested in me because of what I did. It just seems like it would be kind of exploitative if I used that to make her my girlfriend. I'm not worthy of her affections if I take them for granted."

"I see. You're a good man, Akira. But there's nothing wrong with stealing someone's heart as long as you don't break it."

-

When they were leaving the restaurant, Shiho asked Akira if he'd like to go see a movie with her. Alone, without her mother. Unsure of what to say, he looked at her mother for guidance but the woman's eyes seemed to say "It's up to you." Choosing to be more careful by not leading her on, he made up an excuse to call it a day.

"I'd like to but I have to get back home and feed my cat."

[4/18 Monday]

The atmosphere at school was significantly different from what Akira had gotten used to. People were staring and talking as they normally did but now there was no scorn or contempt behind their masks. Instead, what he saw was intrigue and awe. Only two people approached him directly about what he did Friday and the first person was Ann. "Thank you.." She said upfront as soon as they were in class.

"For what?"

"For saving my best friend."

"Shiho's your best friend? ... That's peculiar." Akira connected the dots in his head and remembered Kamoshida saying something to Ann about her 'best friend' when she turned down his offer for a ride home.

"Why?"

"So she's the one Kamoshida was talking about that day?"

"..Yes" There was a long pause before Ann reluctantly acknowledged his conclusion.

"She wouldn't tell me why she why she did it. Have you talked to her yet? Did she come to school today?"

"No, she's not at school, but I talked to her over the phone the day it happened. I'm afraid she won't be coming back here and that really breaks my heart. But I'm glad she's okay and that's all that matters. If you weren't out there, she might have.." Ann covered her mouth to keep herself from crying.

"...Even if I weren't, I think she would have made it." He said in an effort to console her.

-

When the bell rang and all the students began to leave, Ms. Kawakami asked Akira to see her after class once again. "How are you doing?" She asked, referring to his arm.

"All things considered, not too bad."

"You can still write so that's good, no getting out of doing your homework."

"Haha, yeah. For that I'm actually grateful. I wouldn't want to fall behind and need tutoring."

"What about your chores? I'm sure you must have some. Right?"

"No, not really. Or at least none yet. We haven't settled on any."

"I see.. You're so lucky.. Not having to work.. Being young.."

"I guess, but I doubt my free ride will last much longer."

"If it doesn't and you find yourself needing help, let me know."

"Thanks, I appreciate that."

"..Go on now, shoo!" She looked away from him with a cute, pouty face and sent him off by flicking her hand.

-

"Yo, dude!! That was the most heroic shit I've ever seen in my life! You're the friggin' MAN!!" The second person to approach Akira later in the day about his feat was none other than Ryuji.

"Ow! Hey! Take it easy!" He yelped at his overeager friend who snuck up behind him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. The shock caused him to feel a quick pain in his limb, despite the fact that he was on medication to prevent it.

"Oh, sorry, my bad." Ryuji let him go and walked beside Akira instead. It was lunch time and both were headed for the line. "I don't know if you know this, but you're the coolest guy at school now."

"Really?"

"Yup. People are going like, 'I bet Kamoshida wouldn't have done that' and stuff. That wannabe alpha male bastard's gonna be pissed when he comes back to realize you knocked him off his throne."

"He's not here today?"

"Nope. Wasn't here Saturday either. Dude didn't even get a substitute. Some teacher, huh?"

"He missed two days of work without warning? Does anybody know why?"

"Doesn't seem like it. I hope his ass gets fired."

"Damn.." Akira muttered to himself. He was planning to see Kamoshida after school so he could question him about Shiho.

[4/19 Tuesday]

The next day, it was Akira's biology teacher, Mr. Hiruta, who informed the class of the school's intentions to look into Kamoshida's whereabouts. His third day of absence without leave arouse suspicion amongst the staff. "I'm sure you all must be wondering about Mr. Kamoshida. As are we, the teachers. The last time anyone saw him was on the day of Suzui's incident and she hasn't come back yet either. But at least we know why in her case. I can personally relate to how she must have felt. Her eyes were devoid of life as they looked upon this sad and hopeless world. Those eyes may have been closed forever on that day if not for our hero here in class with us." Mr. Hiruta drew everyone's attention toward Akira.

"..All I did was be in the right place at the right time." He felt it necessary to be humble due to being put on the spot. ("Only a douche would take advantage of this kind of popularity.")

"Well, I suppose everyone sees themselves in a different light when the world has its eyes on them. Now then, time for a test." Mr. Hiruta gathered Akira wasn't in the mood to be the center of attention so he moved along with the class.

-

At home during dinner, it was Makoto who brought up the school's course of action on Kamoshida. "They're sending two teachers by his place tomorrow. And if they don't find him there, I'm tasked with investigating the student body."

"The students? Why? And why you?" Akira wondered what the students had to do with it and why Makoto had to be the one to 'investigate' them.

"Because the staff knows about how Kamoshida made enemies amongst them. And since I'm the student council president, they're throwing me under the bus to deal with it."

"Are you serious?! First of all, I didn't know you were the student council president. Second of all, that's bullshit how they're using you as a scapegoat to them turning a blind eye on him this whole time."

"It's because the principal sees Kamoshida as a valuable asset to the school. The murmurs of him sleeping with students and intentionally hurting guys on the sports team are a small price to pay in his eyes as long as nobody comes forth with solid evidence."

"And if they did, he'd probably find a way to get rid of that person instead. Sounds a lot like my work place." Sae added in her two cents to the conversation.

"Exactly.." Makoto said dismally.

[4/20 Wednesday]

During lunch, Akira overheard two students talking as he passed them by. "Did you here? They went by Kamoshida's house today and found it was broken into." Their conversation made him stop in his tracks to turn around and face them while he eavesdropped.

"Yeah, they said there was blood everywhere and the teachers had to call the cops because he wasn't home."

"Do you think somebody killed him?"

Akira's first reaction was to text Ryuji. ["People are talking about Kamoshida. Do you know anything about this?"]

["Not a damn thing, other than what everyone's been saying."]

["Meet me in the courtyard, I have to tell you something."]

When they met up, Akira told Ryuji about how Makoto might come asking him questions and how he shouldn't get upset with her over it. "She's not being suspicious of you, it's the principal making her do it so the staff doesn't have to."

"Yeah, everybody knows I hate Kamoshida, but how the hell would I have anything to do with this? Kinda pisses me off that I'm the first person they're going to look at."

"For what it's worth, I don't think you did it." Another voice caught them off guard when it responded to Ryuji from behind a wall.

"Ann?!" Both boys exclaimed when she revealed herself, along with a fourth party to the conversation.

"Makoto too? How long have you guys been there?" Akira was just as surprised as Ryuji when the girl he tried warning him about showed up with Ann.

"Long enough to appreciate you trying to make my job easier. I teamed up with Ann to lay the groundwork for my inevitable investigation."

"Good, I'll be more than glad to help you out too. Just to further prove my innocence." Ryuji volunteered himself to be her aid alongside Ann and Akira felt himself somewhat proud of this unexpected gathering.

"Of course you can count me in as well. Where do we start?"

Makoto looked all three of them in the eyes and she took a deep breath before her face turned serious. "...Mishima"


	3. Chapter 3

[4/20 Wednesday]

Makoto's investigation crew caught up with Mishima after school and Ryuji reveled in his role of playing the bad cop. "Yo, mind taking a walk with us for a bit?"

"Wha? Why? What's going on here?" Mishima looked at them all, confused. They surrounded him with two people on each side. Makoto and Akira on the left, Ann and Ryuji on the right. With there being some distance between them and the school, their tactic of intimidation worked and he obliged.

"So why'd you do it?" Ryuji threw out his accusation right off the bat once they were alone with Mishima in a secluded area.

"Do what?!"

"You know what."

"No, I don't." Mishima's face was contorting with annoyance.

"You did something to Kamoshida and we're going to find out where you hid the body."

"Body?! Are you serious?! That's crazy talk."

"It's not so crazy when you take a look at all those bruises he put on your face. Admit it, you couldn't resist the urge for revenge. Whatever you did, I'm sure the bastard deserved it."

"I didn't do anything! How could I? Look at me! I'm half his size!"

"Ohhh- I wouldn't write you off simply because he was bigger. All you'd need is a good weapon. You know, like a gun or something sharp you could chop him up with after he was down and out. So how many pieces did you carve him into? You carry'em out in the same backpack you wear to school or what?"

"You're sick! You of all people shouldn't be the one questioning me when you're the one who hated his guts enough to even imagine that!"

"He's got a point, Ryuji. There's no need to be so morbid." Ann placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back a little.

"Yeah, well. I just don't want to be the one getting blamed for his crimes."

"I haven't committed any crimes! You guys are wasting your time. Is this how you're going to start your new student council mafia, Makoto?" Mishima took her aback with the assumption she was some sort of ring leader and Ryuji was merely the muscle to be ignored.

"Mafia?! No.. We're just acting on behalf of the school staff."

"Then why aren't we doing this at school?"

"Because we.. Uh.." Makoto struggled to find the words. She wasn't too sure herself why they had to stalk Mishima and take him into a back alley like they were operating off the grid.

"If you're sanctioned by the school you have no reason to harass anyone outside of it."

"... He's right." Akira finally spoke after they all stood quietly for a hot minute. "We can't go about it detaining people like this."

"Thank you! At least somebody knows the voice of reason when they hear it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." They let him through and Mishima gave Makoto in particular the stink eye when he walked passed her. When he was gone and out of sight they remained where they stood awkwardly.

"Well that went well." Ryuji joked.

"We didn't get any information out of him and only made ourselves look bad. Especially me. I should have known better." Makoto looked downcast as she blamed herself for their failure. Akira figured asking her about their next move might restore a bit of her confidence.

"Now what? Do we just interrogate other students at school between classes? Doing it after school made sense to me because there wouldn't be any time constraints."

"No, that would be too impractical, I'll have to think of another way. Maybe 'interrogating' isn't how it should be done. We don't want to make people feel apprehensive like we just did." While Makoto was lost in thought, Ann proposed her own method of psychology.

"Here's a crazy idea. We could use rumors. Make up some fake ones and pretend we heard about them while talking to other students. You know, see if anyone can distinguish fact from fiction. If we lure the information out of anyone holding it without their knowledge or suspicion that'll make us as good as real spies. Or thieves." They all looked at Ann with curious, arched eyebrows.

"That might actually work. We'll try it starting tomorrow. But first, let's make sure we all have each other's numbers so we can network." Makoto said, adjourning their impromptu meeting once everyone exchanged contact information.

[4/21 - 4/22 Friday]

Two days into churning the rumor mill, Ryuji called a meeting after school on the roof. "Yeah, so y'know I was thinking. About weapons and stuff. At the time when I suggested Mishima might have used one it didn't occur to me then but.. They said there was blood everywhere when they went to Kamoshida's house. So it's possible somebody actually did use a weapon on him."

"And?" Ann prodded.

"I know a place that sells weapons. The guy there might know something."

-

The group followed Ryuji to an out of the way store called 'Untouchable' in Shibuya. The four of them entered together and the surly shopkeeper behind the counter eyed them callously before speaking. "Don't get many women in here. What do you kids want?" He said to Akira and Ryuji in particular after taking notice of Ann and Makoto.

"Hi. We're just here to ask a few questions for a school project." Ann greeted him and made up a story on the fly. "We're trying to compete with a rival class of ours and were wondering if any students might have come by here to purchase anything lately or ask for advice." She added with an innocent smile.

"Advice, huh? Do I look like a teacher? This here's an enthusiast shop. Meaning it's for people who already know their shit. My regulars wouldn't appreciate it if I was giving lessons to school kids. And as far as telling you if anyone bought anything, that's a violation of privacy. I'm not giving you confidential information without a warrant."

"O-Oh.." Ann took a step back, showing a little embarrassment at her wiles not working.

"If you're not going to buy something you should leave. You're overcrowding my store."

"Tsk! With customer service like that it's no wonder your business isn't booming. I bet this is probably the most people you've ever had in here at once." Ryuji retorted. He was clearly frustrated at his idea of bringing everyone there bearing no fruit and the man's attitude wasn't helping.

"Are you done? Come back whenever you've got some experience and then we can talk shop." The man reached for a magazine on his desk and began reading it to show how he was done talking.

"Let's go." Akira said and they walked out.

"Did you guys see that tattoo on his neck?" Ann asked once they were a few feet away from the store. Ryuji, being the one most familiar with the place, answered her.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he's a Yakuza. Figures a guy running a weapons store would be, eh?"

[4/23 Saturday]

On the third day of stirring rumors, it was Ann who caught break from a random student and she called a meeting after school. "So this guy told me something interesting today. Besides the rumor about me dating Kamoshida, there was also a lesser known one about him dating another girl from a different school."

"For real?!" Ryuji exclaimed. "That two-timing bastard.." Ann gave him a narrow-eyed side glance in her annoyance.

"We weren't actually dating, dumbass. So he wasn't two-timing ME, alright?"

"Oh.. Sorry."

"That could be a clue to what happened to him. But if it's true, how are we going to find out who this other girl was?" Makoto looked to Akira for an answer. He shook his head and shrugged.

"Beats me. I barely know anyone besides you guys at this school, let alone another one. Not counting my old school back at home."

"It's not much to go on but I suppose I can report this finding to the principal. Though I doubt it will do any good."

"Do it anyway. Given how shady that fat bastard is, he probably knew about her just like he did the other rumors. Even better if he can tell us who she is." Akira suggested.

"Ugh, if you're right I might just quit this whole student council president thing.."

[4/24 Sunday]

The next morning Akira received a text message from Ann. ["Hey, do you want to hang out with me and Shiho today?"]

("Again?! Oh man, this is getting complicated.") He instantly thought back on how he was asked out last week by Shiho and her mom, now it was her and Ann. Remembering what Sae told him before, Akira thought it would be best to decline. ["Hm, today? Sorry, I wish I could."]

["Please, Akira-kun? Come on.."] To his surprise, Ann didn't back down.

["Are you actually begging me?"]

["Yes, because Shiho hasn't stopped talking to me about you. She really wants to see you again and it would make ME happy too if she did. :("]

("Aw shit, the friend is trying to hook me up with her best friend. Not good.") He tried to think of the best way he could get out of the situation without offending both girls. ["Where did you guys want to go?"] He figured it wouldn't hurt to at least find out what they had in mind.

["The movies. We'll pay your way in."]

("Great. The movies. Again. The same thing she tried last time. It would look really lame if I lied to her about having a cat again. Oh well, I guess I'll go with her this one time since she was persistent enough to sick Ann on me.") Before he could send back his reply, Sae walked into the room wearing nothing but a towel. She was fresh out of the shower and drying her hair.

"Hey." She greeted him casually as if nothing was out of the ordinary. It was her first time letting Akira see her in such a state since they'd been living together.

"H-Hey.. Um.. Where's Makoto?" The first thing that popped into his head besides the resulting boner or what hid under the towel was their mutual cockblock.

"In her room, why?"

"Why..?! What do you mean why..?! You want her to see you letting me see you like this..?!" Akira whispered loudly in a panic while making a hand gesture at her body. Sae looked down at herself and her face turned bright red at the realization. She had actually forgotten she was nearly naked. Without a word, Sae ran back to her room to put on some clothes.

"Sheesh.." Akira wiped his forehead, relieved. ("I don't know if that was more of a sign she's gotten really comfortable with me being around here or she too can actually forget things.") While considering the fact that Sae wasn't so infallible after all, Akira himself realized he was forgetting something when Ann texted him again.

["Well? Are you going to go with us?"]

["Yeah, sorry. I just had a little distraction. So when is it?"]

["In about an hour. It's okay if you're late, we'll wait."]

Akira got up to go to his room and change clothes before heading out. Sae came out of hers at the same time, wearing her regular clothes now. "I'm uh.. Kind of being forced into going to see a movie with some friends."

"Is one of them Shiho?"

"..Yes"

"And I'm guess she's not with her mother this time."

"..No"

"Who else?"

"..Ann" When he told her, Sae placed a hand on Akira's shoulder and pushed him into his room, where he was already going. "Whoa~! What are you doing?!" He yelped in confusion. When they were both inside, Sae reached behind her and locked the door.

"Take your pants off.." She said in a low enough voice to make sure Makoto couldn't hear.

"Are you serious..?!"

"Yes.."

"..Okay, but why?"

"Because last time that girl's mom was with her and I trusted she wouldn't allow anything unscrupulous to happen. But now you're about to go on a date with two girls your age and no adult supervision. In order to make sure you aren't thinking with the wrong head during it, I'm going to deal with that hard-on you obviously still have from a minute ago." Her logic was solid and he knew there was no arguing with her, so Akira opted not to look a gift blowjob in the mouth.

-

On the way to his date with Ann and Shiho, all Akira could think about was Sae. She'd blown his mind with her superior fellatio skills that made the first and only other time she'd given him head pale in comparison. He figured there were two reasons as to why that was. The sense of urgency and the fact that she was getting herself off at the same time, rather than prior to it like before. It happened so fast Akira practically stumbled his way out the door, barely able to walk. They managed to finish without Makoto finding out and he considered that a small miracle.

-

On their date Akira felt more awkward than ever as he sat between Ann and Shiho in the movie theater. They went to see a romantic comedy that had more than a few softcore sex scenes baked into it. Had he not been vigorously taken care of by Sae recently, Akira knew he would have had a physical reaction to them. But since he was able to think with a clearer head, he viewed those scenes in a more analytical light. "They're kind of overdoing it with these.."

"Hm? What? The sex scenes?" Shiho responded to his comment.

"Yeah, I mean what if there were kids watching?"

"If any parents brought their kids to see a movie like this it's their own fault. They'll have to learn about sex somehow, eventually anyway. I personally like it. Not every day you get to see porn on the big screen."

"..Porn?" Akira wasn't expecting her to say such a thing. From what little he knew about her, Shiho came off as too pure to admit she watches porn at all. Let alone wanting to see it in a theater. Having a girl who he thought of as a maiden show interest in what was typically a guy's favorite hobby proved to be more stimulating than the action on screen.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ann leaned forward in her seat to ask them both.

-

After the show was over, Ann was about to conveniently splinter off and purposely leave Akira alone with Shiho. "Alright, I'm going to head back home. You two have fun."

"Wai-.." Akira struggled to find the words to make her stay. He was nervous around Shiho and the presence of another person made him feel safer. Without Ann acting as a barrier between them, Akira worried he wouldn't be able to protect himself from himself if Shiho started coming on too hard.

"Alright, thanks for joining us~!" Shiho said cheerfully. The two girls waved goodbye to each other and Akira was left in a cold sweat once Ann was gone. "So what do you want to do now?" Shiho asked, wrapping her arms around his left arm.

"I'm.. not sure.."

"Wanna go by my place?"

("Her place?! ... Wait, her mom must be there so that should be good. It might actually be the safest place we can go.")

"My mom's at work and there's nobody home so.."

("What?! Oh goddammit, give me a break!") Akira felt himself getting hard already at the implication, despite Sae's best efforts to put his other head in check. With his libido taking over and his rationale starting to fail him, he was about to accept her proposition. "Well, I-" Then a golden haired savior showed up in the form of Ryuji to interrupt him mid sentence.

"Yo! Akira! Wassup, man?! And Shiho! Nice to see you again. Been a while." His voice struck Akira like a bolt of lightning and brought him back to his senses. "You guys going in to see a movie? Cool, me too."

"Actually, we just saw one." He said to Ryuji, relieved to see another friend. "I'm headed back home. Thanks Shiho ... and sorry." He apologized upon breaking away from her. "I can't.."

"Oh.." She looked down, visibly saddened. It hurt him to crush her spirits but he knew it had to be done. "Well then, I guess this is goodbye..? Or maybe, see you around..?" She wasn't sure how far he was trying to push her away.

"It's see you later." Akira said, reassuring her that they could still be friends.

"Alright.. See you later then." Shiho then ran off while Akira and Ryuji watched her leave.

"Dude, what was that about? Tell me you didn't just turn a girl down?" Ryuji's face showed disappointment and his incredulous tone stung Akira so much he felt it in his broken arm.

[4/25 Monday]

During lunchtime, Makoto called a meeting to tell the group she reported their findings to the principal that morning. "He said he didn't know anything about a girl from another school. But he did tell me there's been one huge development on the police side of things. They found Kamoshida."

"They did?! So he's alive?!" Ann cried out in shock.

"Yeah, but he's really messed up. He's currently comatose in a hospital right now. Been there since the day he went missing. The reason we haven't heard about it until now is because they've been trying to contact his next of kin before notifying the school."

"What happened? Somebody beat him up?" Ryuji asked.

"Apparently, yeah. They're saying it looks like he was jumped at his house. By who, they don't know yet, it's still being looked into." They all stood silently for a moment, thinking. Akira, wondering if this meant their job was done, looked to Makoto for some kind of answer.

"So do we leave the rest to the police, now that he's been found?"

"No. If anyone at this school had anything to do with his assault, I want to know who. We can't allow someone so violent and dangerous go about. If I accomplish one thing as the student council president, it should be the safety of my fellow students and teachers. Regardless if they were scumbags."

Akira couldn't help but appreciate the sense of irony, seeing as that's exactly how his old school viewed him after his conviction. "Well, no doubt word about this is going to get out. And we can't rely on the rumor mill tricking anyone capable of such a thing into confessing their crime. It might even pose a threat to us if they knew we were looking for them."

"Then I guess we only really have two options. Leave it to the police or wait and see if Kamoshida wakes up. If the latter happens maybe we can ask him who did it." Makoto acknowledged Akira's point, realizing there was no further action to be taken on their part. They would simply have to wait it out.

[4/25 - 4/30 Saturday]

Several days of anxious waiting passed by with the only activity amongst their investigation team being text messages. Every day in their group chat someone would say, "Do you think he's going to wake up soon?" or "I hope he wakes up soon." Followed by "I'm surprised the cops haven't showed up at our school to ask questions yet." and "Are they even doing anything?" Akira became more annoyed by the constant notifications on his phone than he was with the uncertainty of their next move. After school, he noticed he was down to his last pain killer pill and would have to stop by Takemi's clinic for a prescription refill on his way home.

-

"Here you go. Try to make it last a little longer this time. The pains in your arm should be starting to subside, no?"

"Yeah, I guess it's mostly stress making it seem worse. By the way, I was wondering something about this medicine. What kind of pain killers have sedatives in it? I'd never been so tired in my life the first time I took one of these."

"A custom made one. All the meds here were made by me. That's my private practice. Don't worry, I'm licensed to make my own formulas. You might have even seen them being sold at various hospitals. Including the one you were taken to that day."

"Interesting.. What other kinds of drugs do you make?"

"Depends on who's asking. Why?" When Akira didn't have an answer, she invited him into her exam room for more discretion. Once they were both inside, she told him to have a seat and to his surprise, she locked the door. "Are you interested in trying male enhancements?"

"Wha-?! No! Why would you ask me that?"

"I figured what else could a male living with 'two' females in their prime want."

"I-It's not like that.." Akira gathered Takemi must have heard about Sae's younger sister Makoto through the grapevine and connected the dots. Albeit not in the most precisely accurate way.

"It's okay to tell me. Anything you say here is strictly confidential."

"You're jumping to conclusions, Doc."

"Am I really? I'm not as dumb as I look, you know. Perhaps I can give you some advice."

"Advice on what?"

"Women. Like Sae for example. I know her type when I see it. High-strung, stressed out ... single and sexually frustrated. There's no way that kind of woman that takes in a young, hot, able-bodied guy like yourself without any intentions of getting some action from him."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Well, have you two done anything outside of platonic boundaries yet?"

"..Yes" Akira refrained from fully admitting it since he swore to Sae he'd never to tell anyone.

"Okay. You don't have to go into explicit detail but I can guess you haven't actually fucked her yet." Takemi's use of the 'F' word shattered her professional demeanor with Akira. She seemed less like a doctor talking to a patient now and more like one buddy to another in a locker room. "The fact that she's shown interest but hasn't slept with you yet tells me one thing. She's trying to groom you into being her ideal boy toy."

"How do you know that? You're making a lot of assumptions based on one interaction with her."

"Because it's what I would do. If I was letting a much younger man live under my roof, I'd mold him into being the perfect guinea pig."

"..Guinea pig? I like how you say that rather than boy toy. Really makes me wonder."

"Too bad you'll never find out." She said with a flirtatious wink. "So, about those other drugs.."

[4/31 - 5/2 Monday]

When everyone went back to school Monday, news broke of Kamoshida waking up from his coma. Makoto found out which hospital he was at from the principal and her investigation team agreed to go see him after school. Standing outside the door to Kamoshida's room, the four of them had to make a decision on who would be the one to go in and talk to him. "If we all go on there at once, it might be too intimidating and he won't say anything. Maybe we should draw straws? ... No" Makoto proposed the idea then reverted after realizing Ann was the clear and obvious choice by looking at her.

"He's not going to talk to me.."

"Why not? Doesn't he already like you? Sure as hell ain't gonna be me. I know that bastard probably hates me as much as I do him." Ryuji forfeited as well.

"And if I go in he's going to know the principal sent me and refuse to say anything that might get him fired. It looks like it's going to have to be you, Akira. You're the only one who doesn't have a history with Kamoshida or a tether to the school faculty."

"Alright." He said simply and pushed up his glasses. "Let's do this."

-

It took a moment for Kamoshida to open his eyes and realize Akira was standing there, by his bed. "..Oh, it's you. What do you want?"

"Answers."

"To what?"

"I want to know who did this to you."

"Why do you care? Gonna get revenge for me?"

"Maybe. That all depends on why they did it."

"..Did you get that from saving Shiho?" Kamoshida took a moment to observe Akira's broken arm.

"..Yeah, why do you care?" Akira looked at his arm and shrugged it a little.

"Thank you.. for doing that. If not for you, I might have just let those bastards kill me."

"Who?"

"A Yakuza claiming to be that bitch's boyfriend and several of his gang members. They really did a number on me."

"Who's boyfriend, Shiho's??"

"No, the bitch I cheated on her with.."

"Huh?! Hold on, wait a minute, go back. You.. cheated.. on Shiho??"

"So you didn't know, huh? I guess that's to be expected. Ann's a great actress after all."

"What are you talking about?"

"I bet you thought I was banging Ann, weren't you?"

"At first, yeah.. Until I got to know her."

"That was the point. Ann was just a front. The truth is I was actually in a relationship with Shiho all along. Ann knew about it. The diversion was her idea. She volunteered to let herself be seen with me in order to make people think we were dating. She knew she couldn't make us break up, so her plan was to at least protect her best friend from rumors. By taking them upon herself instead."

Akira thought back to what Ann said to him on the day he met Ryuji after the volleyball rally. "Now I see what she meant by not caring about what people think and going with the flow ... I still can't believe it though. Did she.. did Shiho let you sleep with her?"

"Heh, you sure you want to know?" Kamoshida dawned a wicked grin in his bedridden state and Akira felt his heart sink at the disgusting, incoming answer.

"Just tell me.."

"Alright~ If you insist. Of all the girls at that school I made passes at, Shiho was the only one willing to play ball. She didn't care about the fact that I was a teacher flirting with a student. All she saw was a guy interested in her. And believe me, she may not look it, but that girl was totally down to fuck. I smashed it at the school and my own house. It was so good. Too good."

"..and yet, you cheated on her.. WHY?! Were you not satisfied?! Then it's true, you really were seeing another girl from a different school. You deplorable piece of shit. You're the reason she tried to kill herself, aren't you?!" Akira was disgusted to the point of tears. Kamoshida's words made him want to finish what the Yakuza started and put him out of his misery, but he knew that wouldn't solve anything.

"..partially, yeah. I was manipulated too. And I assure you, I do regret my actions, that's why I'm telling you all this. Because not only do I feel remorse, I owe you my gratitude for saving Shiho. So.. you know that girl I cheated on her with? She had an aggressive side to her personality that really turned me on. So much so that she made me dump Shiho on her behalf. I couldn't resist her demands and the bitch played me like a fiddle. The Yakuza claiming she was his girlfriend showed up with his thugs the day after Shiho's incident. And now here I am, you can figure out the rest."

"I'll figure it out alright. You got what you deserve but you should still turn yourself in if you're truly sorry for everything you did. Including how you flirted with your students and deliberately hurt the guys on the sports team."

"All I did was show those wimps some tough. At least I've never raised a hand to a female. Only my dick. But I'll think about turning myself in. As for right now, the pain of the ass whipping those guys put on me still feels fresh enough to be an adequate punishment for my deadly sin. I won't let lust get me into this kind of trouble again. Fuck schoolgirls."

Kamoshida turned his head away from Akira to seemingly get some rest and he had a moment to process all that he'd learned. His primary concern was Ann and how she would deal with it. Especially in front of Makoto and Ryuji. He thought about how he would deliver the news and figured it would be best to let Ann make the decision.

-

As soon as he stepped outside of Kamoshida's room, the three of them gathered around Akira for an update. Saying no words, he merely gave Ann a cold, knowing stare. Prompting her to ask, "What did he tell you..?"

"Everything.."

"I see.."

"It's up to you if you want to let them know." Akira said, referring to Makoto and Ryuji. The other two looked at each other, obviously feeling left out.

"..Go ahead.." Ann gave her permission. Akira told them everything and all were surprised at the revelation. The news of Kamoshida and Shiho was of course not news to Ann but she was shocked, appalled and hurt to find out he'd actually cheated on her. "Oh my god!! I can't believe this! That no good ASSHOLE!! What a fucking DOG! After all I went through to help them be together despite KNOWING she shouldn't be with him! The humiliation of letting people think it was ME! All of that for what?! Him to break her heart anyway over some bitch from another school?! That makes me so MAD! So.. HURT!!" Ann's anger flowed out of her with the tears and they all embraced her to try calming her down.

"Let's go, Ann.." Akira said quietly. People were staring and he didn't want to let her make any more of a scene.

-

Outside the hospital, Ann dried her face while the other three discussed what they were going to do next. "If it was the Yakuza who did it then that guy at the weapons store might know something." Ryuji said somberly. "But still, if it wasn't anyone at our school then it's got nothing to do with us. This is way out of our league. We can't go fucking around with Yakuza. Especially not over some hot garbage pervert like Kamoshida."

"No. This isn't over. I want to find out who this other girl was that made my best friend try to kill herself." Ann said after she was done wiping her face. Her pain and anger had been replaced by the look of newfound determination in her eyes. "Let's go see the guy at the weapons shop."

-

"What do you kids want now?" The shop owner said once they all entered.

"You're a Yakuza, right?" Ann got straight to the point. There was a long silence before he finally answered.

"..Used to be. Why?"

"We really, really need your help. Please, I'm begging you." Ann's sincere plea caused the man to stand up from his chair and look at them with a bit more compassion in his eyes than before.

"What's wrong?"

"It's my best friend. Her ex cheated on her with another girl and some guys claiming to be Yakuza jumped him for it. I'm not saying he didn't deserve it, but I want to know who the other girl was. Because she made my friend try to kill herself."

"..Wait, is your best friend named Shiho?"

"Yes!! Do you know her?!" Ann exclaimed.

"Somewhat.. I know her mom."

"Her mom..?"

"Yeah, she was the one that put out the hit on her daughter's ex after the poor girl tried to kill herself."

"What does Shiho's mother have to do with the Yakuza?"

"As far as you need to know, nothing. But I'll tell you this. The whole thing was a set up that went horribly wrong."

"A set up?"

"Your best friend's ex was some sleazy teacher at your school, right?"

"..Yeah"

"Well her mom knew about their relationship. She couldn't make her daughter break up with the guy and she didn't want to report him to the authorities because that would have caused a stigma. So what she did was try to make him break up with her instead."

"Meaning..?" Ann's body began to shake.

"She exploited the guy's preference for schoolgirls. Behind the scenes, she arranged for a girl who was a bit of a succubus to be sent his way. A girl with the skills to wrap a guy like that around her fingers and puppeteer him into doing what she wanted. Like breaking up with Shiho. That was the plan, but it backfired. Her mother could have never guessed her daughter would try to kill herself over being dumped. She suspected the guy must have been too harsh about it and vowed to get revenge. So she called in the favor. Asked me if I could sick a few of my former associates on the bastard and I said no problem. Done deal. That's how we do it in the streets."

Ann held a hand over her mouth, showing her astonishment. "So all of this happened because of Shiho's mother..?"

"Pretty much. And I trust you know better than to tell the girl that."

"We won't. But what about the other girl? Can you tell us who she was?"

"Nope, sorry. I never met her. But I can tell you she's not really a Yakuza's girlfriend."

"I see. Well, thank you for telling me all of this. I appreciate it. Come on guys, let's go." Ann walked out ahead of them. Once outside she balled up both fists and screamed. "There's nothing we can do about Shiho's mother and I don't want to confront her about making such a fatal mistake. But I WILL find whoever this manipulative bitch was and give her a piece of my mind. Are you guys with me? It has nothing to do with the our school anymore, it's personal now.." Ann turned around to face Akira, Makoto and Ryuji, who'd been silent the whole time while following her lead.

"Of course." All three said in unison.


End file.
